Electrical musical stringed instruments

ABSTRACT

A stringed musical instrument having a hollow body and a solid finger board, the body having a channel with which the finger board cooperates and fills the channel, the spacing of the sides of the finger board and that of the body being reduced intermediate the top and bottom of the finger board and body, and insulating material interposed between the sides.

United States Patent 1 ,6 6,700

Berardi [451 Oct. 10, 197 2 ELECTRICAL MUSICAL STRINGED 3,439,570 4/1969Lee ..84/293 INSTRUMENTS 3,443,018 5/1969 Krebs ..84/ l .16 Inventor:Michael P. a di P.0- ox Tcndl'eau et a1. ..84/l-16 5mm, Mlaml FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: g 1971 2,001,193 9/1969 France..84/l.16

[21] Appl. No.: 168,545 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson AssistantExaminer-Lawrence R. Franklin Related US. Application DataAttorney-George A. Degnan [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 63,849,Aug.

14, 1970, abandoned. ABSTRACT A stringed musical instrument having ahollow body ..84/29l, 84/l.:;61,08;1/32/(9)3 and a solid finger boardthe body having a channel with which the finger board cooperates andfills the [58] Field of Search ..84/1.l6, 267, 290, 291, 293 channel thespacing of the sides of the finger board and that of the body beingreduced intermediate the [56] References cued top and bottom of thefinger board and body, and in- U I STATES PATENTS sulating materialinterposed between the sides. 3,396,621 8/1968 Dycus ..84/293 4 Claims,3 Drawing Figures Iii PATENTEDflcr 10 1972 FIG. 3

' INVENTOR MICHAEL P. BERARDI ATTORNEY ELECTRICAL MUSICAL STRINGEDINSTRUMENTS This application is a continuation-in-part of theapplication of Michael P. Berardi, Ser. No. 63,849, filed Aug. 14, 1970for Electrical Stringed Instrument now abandoned.

The present invention relates to electrical stringed musicalinstruments, particularly guitars in which sound amplification means andthe source of electrical power are contained in the body of theinstrument. More particularly, the invention pertains to a novel form offinger board and parts of the body with which the finger boardcooperates together with means interposed between the finger board andbody providing sound insulation so that feed back to the conventionalelectro-magnetic pick-up is minimized if not entirely eliminated.

It is an object of the invention so to construct the instrument thatfeed back is reduced to such a degree that the magnitude of electricpower can be substantially increased with an accompanying increase insound volume.

It is a further object of the invention to assemble the finger board andbody by means other than metallic fasteners thereby to reduce feed back.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description of theinvention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a conventional wiring connecting the soundamplification means of the instrument. 5

Referring to the drawings, the body of the instrument comprises a top11, a bottom 12, side members 13 and centrally located curved portions14 forming a channel 15, the depth of which is the same as the height ofthe sides 13. The channel is open at its forward end 16 and closed atits rear end 17, the latter end terminating forwardly of and beingspaced from the rear end 18 of the instrument. Disposed within channelis the enlarged rear portion 21 of a finger board 19 having thereon abridge 20 over which one end of strings 22 is supported and securedbeneath base 29. The other ends of the strings are attached to thecustomary tuning keys 23. An electro-magnetic pick-up 30 disposed inproximity to the strings 22 is connected by conventional wiring to anamplifier 24, batteries and speakers 26, as shown in FIG. 3 in whichstring vibrations are transmitted through pick-up to the amplifier 24when the latter is activated by the closing of switch 34 to complete thecircuit from batteries 25 to the grounded amplifier. Loud speaker 26produces the amplified sound. Decorative plates 32, 33 provide coveringfor insulation shown at 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape of that portion 21 offinger board 19 disposed in channel 15 is such that the vertical sides28 are preferably concavely curved and the sides 14 of the channel arecomplementary thereto. The portion 21 is coextensive in length and depthwith that of channel 15 but its vertical sides are spaced from the sidesof the channel. Thus the space between the sides of the finger boardintermediate the top and bottom thereof isreduced. The spacing betweenthe sides of the channel is similarly reduced. interposed in the spacesbetween these sides are two relatively thick layers of sound insulatingmaterial identified by the reference characters 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d.The layers 31a and 31b are adhesively attached to the finger board, thelayers 31c and 31d being adhesively attached to. body in channel 15. Theunattached abutting faces of the layers are relatively smooth,permitting the finger board and its attached sound insulating layer tobe inserted lengthwise into the channel. The combined thickness of thelayers of insulation on each side of the finger board is slightlygreater than the spacing between the finger board and the body so thatthe insulation is compressed sufficiently to provide a firm tight fitbut will not prevent disassembly when necessary. With this type ofconstruction it will be apparent that sounds emanating from within thehollow body of the instrument will be prevented from being transmittedto the finger board by the interposition of the sound insulatingmaterial.

The material from which the body and finger board are produced ispreferably wood but the material of the finger board may be any ofseveral types of moldable plastics, light weight metal or other suitablematerials since it does not reflect sound. The placement of theamplifying elements and the speakers is discretionary with the assemblerso long as distribution of the weight of these is suitably balanced.

It is to be noted and emphasized that there is no metallic meansattaching the finger board to the body other than two small wiresextending from the pick up to the amplifier. The parts of the body andthe amplifying components may be assembled with adhesive bonding meansor a minimum of metallic fastening means which, however, do not conductsound to the insulated finger board or transmit feed back to the pickup. It is also to be noted that the particular shape of the sides of thefinger board and the complementary sides of the channel preventdisplacement of the finger board in a direction normal to the top andbottom of the instrument or by rotation of the finger board, movementthereof being confined to a longitudinal or axial direction.

A preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and described butsuch modifications as fall within the terms of the appended claims arecontemplated.

What is claimed is:

I. An electrical stringed musical instrument comprising a body havingtop and bottom portions, side portions connecting said top and bottomportions, a channel formed by spaced members extending between andconnected to said top and bottom portions, said channel extendingrearwardly from the front end of said instrument, said channel beingopen at its forward end and closed at its rear end, a finger boardcoextensive with the length and depth of said channel, the spacingbetween the sides of the finger board being reduced intermediate the topand bottom thereof, the sides of the channel being complementary to thesides of the finger board and being spaced laterally from the sides ofsaid finger board, sound insulating material interposed between thesides of said finger board and said channel, the thickness of saidinsulating material being slightly greater than the spacing between thesides of the channel and the sides of said finger board whereby said anda layer of material secured to each side of said m channel.

3. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the sides of thechannel are convex and the sides of the finger board areconcave withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the finger board.

4. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, in which the finger boardis longitudinally slidable within said channel.

1. An electrical stringed musical instrument comprising a body havingtop and bottom portions, side portions connecting said top and bottomportions, a channel formed by spaced members extending between andconnected to said top and bottom portions, said channel extendingrearwardly from the front end of said instrument, said channel beingopen at its forward end and closed at its rear end, a finger boardcoextensive with the length and depth of said channel, the spacingbetween the sides of the finger board being reduced intermediate the topand bottom thereof, the sides of the channel being complementary to thesides of the finger board and being spaced laterally from the sides ofsaid finger board, sound insulating material interposed between thesides of said finger board and said channel, the thickness of saidinsulating material being slightly greater than the spacing between thesides of the channel and the sides of said finger board whereby saidmaterial is in pressured engagement with the sides of said finger boardand said channel, a sound pickup on said finger board between the sidesof said channel, and electrical sound amplifying means connected to saidpickup within said body.
 2. A musical instrument as defined in claim 1,in which said sound insulating material consists of a layer of materialsecured to each side of said finger board, and a layer of materialsecured to each side of said channel.
 3. A mUsical instrument as definedin claim 2, in which the sides of the channel are convex and the sidesof the finger board are concave with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe finger board.
 4. A musical instrument as defined in claim 2, inwhich the finger board is longitudinally slidable within said channel.